Hello, our center has started our pilot year of box monitoring.
We had a couple question:
1. How do you combat starlings trying to nest in the box
2. What is the typical territory range for kestrels.
Thanks for any info you can pass on!
Ruth
Hello, our center has started our pilot year of box monitoring.
We had a couple question:
1. How do you combat starlings trying to nest in the box
2. What is the typical territory range for kestrels.
Thanks for any info you can pass on!
Ruth
Hi, we have been studying American Kestrels about 8 years. The territory ranges from about 4 to 5 kilometers but kestrels will protect their nesting site very agresively. Now the starlings are an issue we have encontered ourselves and found the kestrels have taken care of the situation on their own. The worst thing the starlings may remove wood chips and replace them with grasses. One year we had this problem and just kept on removing the grasses and adding more wood chips. Once our kestrels took over the starlings stayed away. We have been member of AKP several years and supplied data and feather samples for DNA testing. We also host a HD Live stream evey year and you are welcome to our KESTRE KORNER which supplies many useful information. Link to
http://www.nu-sun.com/html/kestrel_korner.html
Thank you and have a nice day, Nu-Sun Cinema Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Thank you so much for your insight! I will pass this information onto our group.
And thank you for sharing your website, I will check it out :)
We though you may like to know that just before the kestrels returned for the spring breeding season, we had Starlings that visited the box on several occasions. Within a day of the kestrels return to the box, the Starlings moved on.
Good Luck!
Put up 3 kestrel houses 4 years ago @ 20+ feet ...finally checked in 2019 , all used by starlings . Removed and this year put up 2 @ 9 feet ....will be checking starting Feb of 2020 !